Govt aims to build stadiums in 'every locality' under Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive: PM Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that the government aims to build sports grounds in every union council of the country under Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive.

He made these remarks while addressing the launch ceremony of the initiative at the Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad.

Khan said that the provincial governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab had constructed 300 and 260 sports stadiums, respectively, in three years. Their target was to double the numbers in the next two years. “We want a ground in every neighbourhood, in every union council,” he said.

PM Khan said that through this initiative, the government aims to train the country’s youth for international competitions.

Kamyab Jawan Sports drive to revive sports culture: Dar

The premier said sports are essential for youth as they keep them fit and away from bad habits.

“Over 70% of the population of Pakistan is under the age of 30 years. For them, we have decided to construct grounds,” Khan said.

PM Khan advised the youngster not to get disheartened from setbacks in life, adding working hard was the key to getting desired results.

“Having spent 21 years on the international sports ground, I can tell you one thing for true: sports teach you how to accept and embrace defeat,” the premier said.

“You stop getting heartbroken from defeat but learn from it. And this is the greatest quality of a human being — to face all the difficulties and problems instead of surrendering to them, he pointed out.

“Sports prepare you for life. It teaches you to analyse your flaws and come up with solutions to eliminate them. It also helps you stay grounded during your successes.”

Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive

Under ‘Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive’, 12 different games for males and 10 for females would be arranged across 25 regions under the talent hunt programme. The age bracket for both has been set at 11-25 years. Games for males included football, cricket, hockey, badminton, boxing, handball, judo, squash, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling.

For young females, the games would be badminton, cricket, football, hockey, boxing, handball, judo, squash, table tennis, and volleyball.

After the conclusion of the games, the selected pool of talent would then compete in a national league under the program. Under the programme, the government will establish high-performance centres in 12 universities.

The sports academies would be set up in various varsities including Bahauddin Zakariya University, University of Punjab, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, University of Karachi, Sindh Agriculture University, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari, University of Peshawar, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, International Islamic University, Quetta University and Karakoram International University, Gilgit Baltistan.